CERVICAL CANCER

A doctor talks to a room full of women in a Nigerian clinic.
Cervical Cancer
The Issue
Cervical cancer, one of the most preventable types of cancer, kills 300,000 women each year, with more than 90 percent of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a very common sexually transmitted infection. Women who are infected with both HPV and HIV are at particular risk of progression to cancer. HPV vaccination and programs to screen and treat women for pre-cancerous lesions offer the opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. However, most low- and middle-income countries are only now beginning to introduce the HPV vaccine, leaving older generations of women unprotected. Access to effective screening and treatment has been constrained by the package of tools currently in use in these countries: most programs rely on visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), the accuracy of which is highly variable; cryotherapy to treat pre-cancerous lesions is cumbersome, expensive, and logistically difficult to maintain; and HPV testing is expensive and only available at a limited number of sites.
CHAI's Approach
CHAI, with support from Unitaid, is working to scale up safe, effective, and affordable cervical cancer screening and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions across our partner countries. We are working to reach more women by leveraging existing platforms to offer tools that are available but not widely used: HPV testing for screening and portable thermal ablation devices to treat pre-cancerous lesions. We are using CHAI’s market-shaping experience to bring promising new products and technologies to market to ensure the sustainable, affordable, and timely supply of screening and treatment tools as well as HPV tests. At the same time, we are testing integrated models to reach women living with HIV through existing health services, such as treatment clinics; reaching women in the general population through family planning services; and offering HPV testing on multiplex diagnostic platforms that are being underutilized for other testing.
Spotlight

Cancer Access Partnership expands in 2021 to increase access to treatment for 30 cancers in Africa and Asia

Our Work

January 13, 2022

Inga previously worked as a nurse

Our monthly check-in with staff from around the world. Learn more about the people who work at CHAI.

Our monthly check-in with staff from around the world. Learn more about the people who work at CHAI.

Read More

December 13, 2021

Despite COVID-19: The pandemic’s impact on global health in 2021

As we revisit several of our most popular pieces of content from 2021, we focus not only on the challenges the pandemic has caused health programs across our partner countries, but also the resilience that our partners have shown in their response.

Read More
Cover of Market Report: Diabetes self-monitoring devices in LMICs - October 2021

October 5, 2021

Diabetes report offers new insights into market-related barriers preventing access to glucose monitoring

The report is the first of its kind providing market intelligence on the current state of access to blood glucose self-monitoring devices in low- and middle-income countries.

Read More
An African male healthcare worker checks the fluid levels in the patients IV drip

March 8, 2021

CHAI and ACS announce agreement to expand Cancer Access Partnership  

The expanded partnership will increase access to leading-edge cancer treatments in low- and middle-income countries including biologics and hormonal therapies.

Read More

January 13, 2022

Inga previously worked as a nurse

Our monthly check-in with staff from around the world. Learn more about the people who work at CHAI.

Our monthly check-in with staff from around the world. Learn more about the people who work at CHAI.

Read More

December 13, 2021

Despite COVID-19: The pandemic’s impact on global health in 2021

As we revisit several of our most popular pieces of content from 2021, we focus not only on the challenges the pandemic has caused health programs across our partner countries, but also the resilience that our partners have shown in their response.

Read More
Cover of Market Report: Diabetes self-monitoring devices in LMICs - October 2021

October 5, 2021

Diabetes report offers new insights into market-related barriers preventing access to glucose monitoring

The report is the first of its kind providing market intelligence on the current state of access to blood glucose self-monitoring devices in low- and middle-income countries.

Read More
An African male healthcare worker checks the fluid levels in the patients IV drip

March 8, 2021

CHAI and ACS announce agreement to expand Cancer Access Partnership  

The expanded partnership will increase access to leading-edge cancer treatments in low- and middle-income countries including biologics and hormonal therapies.

Read More

Join the Team

CHAI is looking for dynamic and self-motivated individuals who are committed to strengthening health systems around the world and expanding access to care and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other illnesses.

View All CHAI Positions View Program Positions

Join the Team

CHAI is looking for dynamic and self-motivated individuals who are committed to strengthening health systems around the world and expanding access to care and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other illnesses.

View All CHAI Positions View Program Positions